Tiffany Mountain by Old Baldy is the highest point in East-Central Okanogan Range. It enjoys vast isolation from its nearest taller neighbor, 18 miles away. Moreover, Freezeout Trail via Freezeout Ridge offers a scenic and leisurely hike.
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Tiffany Mountain at a Glance
Freezeout Slam = Tiffany Mountain + Middle Tiffany Mountain + Rock Mountain 7971
凍結滿貫=蒂芬妮山+中蒂芬妮山+石山7971
Access: Freezeout Ridge Trailhead
Round Trip: 14.6 miles
Elevation Range: 6560′-8245′
Gear: helmet
GPS Track: available
The Preface
The drive to Summer Blossom Trailhead last week was rough. So this week, we wanted relaxation, at least the driving part. Then I looked to Gilbert Peak in Goat Rocks Wilderness.
The initial plan was to make the famous climb a day trip. Then we’d drive out to visit Tiffany Mountain the day after. But we needed to change plans at the last minute.
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South Fork Tieton Road Closure
I unexpectedly drove up to a gate by the NF-750 and South Fork Tieton Road late at night. Then I looked at the map and saw that it’d be a seven-mile walk to the Conrad Meadows Trailhead. So no, thank you.
Without a backup plan, I decided to visit Tiffany Mountain on Saturday. Later we drove six hours north to Winthrop. During that, I slept by the highway for a while. Then at 5 AM, we started moving again.
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Freezeout Ridge Trailhead
At last, we drove through Winthrop at 8 AM to NF-37. The service road was bumpy below the pass but still doable in a compact car. Then we reached Freezeout Ridge Trailhead in under an hour.
Soon, we made our way up the trail toward Whistler Pass. Then we went south on the North Summit Trail to Clark Peak at the first trail fork. Since it was close by, I decided to include the peak on the agenda at the last minute.
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Clark Peak Summit Views
The actual summit wasn’t visible until we were up on the east ridge. Later a notch on the ridgeline had us bypass it from the south. Then a short scramble got us up on too.
The summit was a vantage point to see our other three goals sitting side by side. Just off west of Eightmile Creek was smoky. The haze had come from the Diamond Creek Fire that started one month ago.
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Back to Whistler Pass by Tiffany Mountain
Back on Whistler Pass, we hiked north on North Summit Trail to Honeymoon Pass. The map showed the 7300′ fork with Tiffany Lake Trail 200′ higher. So we ended up scrambling down to the basin.
Soon, we joined the Tiffany Lake Trail through the old burn in North Fork Salmon Creek Basin. It’s been incredibly arid throughout. So the tiny stream gave us our first water since we left the car.
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Rock Mountain 7919 Summit Views
From Honeymoon Pass, we hiked north straight up to Rock Mountain 7919, where a radio facility marked the top. I had a decent look at the massive wildfire smoke spanning the western horizon from here.
It had grown pretty windy by now, so we left after a quick break. Then Middle Tiffany Mountain, our next stop, was right across the 7500′ joining saddle. It didn’t take much time before we went up to the top.
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Middle Tiffany Mountain Summit Views
This summit had similar views as Rock Mountain, so the yellow pup and I didn’t stay long here. I would’ve liked to spend more time in the area. But we still needed to get to our final goal, Tiffany Mountain, before sundown.
The gurgling croak of Ravens echoed through the basins as we reached back at Honeymoon Pass. I had thought of climbing via the northwest saddle, but I wasn’t sure if it was doable for the pup. Besides, we needed more water from the basin.
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En Route to Tiffany Mountain
Soon, we made our way back to North Fork Salmon Creek Basin. Then we retraced our steps back up to Whistler Pass via the actual North Summit Trail fork.
We went up the southeast ridge on a faint path and reached the top shortly after. Lots of boulders and sand piles had scattered the summit. Tiffany Mountain also boasted a broad top with views abound.
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Sunset Views Plus Outro
We stayed a long while on top to watch the sunset. The evening light had glistened Rock Mountain and Middle Tiffany Mountain across the basin. So we enjoyed the extensive and beautiful views around us.
Hard to believe that the equinox was only under one month away! I was beginning to miss those nine o’clock sunsets.
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